Quality of saffron - Elahidoost Saffron

Trustworthy Supplier is supplied based on international standards in and many tests are carried out to measure the quality of saffron. In order to cover all needs of its customers, our own networks produces and packages all of its saffron products based on the approval of the quality control unit in a fully sanitary area and benefiting from engineers and experts in the food industry.

The following is a summary of the Iranian saffron quality assessment tests:

The color test (extraction and detection of color additives)
The color strength test and evaluation of the levels of crocin, safranal, and picrocrocin
Moisture content
Total ash content
Acid insoluble ash
Amount of external substances related to the environment and flower residues
Cold water-soluble extract

Tests and Standards

Implementation of standards improves quality and increases exports, thus increasing national income. Based on the quality factors of saffron, The Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI) has compiled saffron standards, which are as follows:

National Standard 259-1: Titled “Saffron & Its Properties” (includes: specification of packaging, marking, and sampling)

National Standard 259-2: Titled “Saffron & Its Testing Methods” (on saffron testing methods):

The amount of the style along with the stigma
The moisture content
The total ash and acid insoluble ash contents
Cold water-soluble extract
Amount of external substances related to the plant and environment
(2634

National Standard 3659: The saffron sampling method

National Standard 2198: Searching and ordering enterococci

National Standard 4806: The microbiological quality of surfaces

National Standard 4557: The procedure of using the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) system

National Standard 2946: The microbial most probable number (MPN) test for the enumeration of Escherichia coli

National Standard (10899-2): To measure the amount of mold and yeast (per gram)

National Standard 9432: Comprehensive method for the enumeration of sulfite-reducing bacteria growing under anaerobic conditions

In addition to complying with national standards, saffron must comply with international standards to be exportable to foreign markets.

A standard is defined as follows: It is a document that has been drafted through a consensus and approval of the determined pillars, that provides rules, guidelines and/or specifications for activities or their results for general and continuous use, and that aims at achieving an optimal order in a given category.

Industry owners, customers, consumers, society, government, shareholders, and manufacturers are involved in drafting the document of a standard. The standard is the necessity of society.

A common standard for saffron in the world is ISO 3632. In Iran, The Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI) and The Food and Drug Administration of Iran (IFDA) are responsible for compiling relevant standards as well as controlling the quality of saffron.

Kinds of cheating in saffron

One of the cases of saffron adulteration is use of chemical and artificial dyes to dye saffron, which is prohibited in the saffron industry. From among these dyes, the most common are as follows: Tartrazine, Orange II, Amaranth, Sunset Yellow, Ponceau 4R, Quinoline Yellow, and Azorubine (Carmoisine).

Another way of cheating in sale of saffron is giving short weight. From among other cases of cheating in saffron, we can refer to addition of salt and sugar to saffron, which is done to increase its mass.

One of the ways to distinguish pure saffron from the adulterated one is to taste it, and it must have a bitter taste. But if it tastes sweet or salty, it means that some kind of salt or sugar of alkaline origin has been added to it.

In total, in adulterated products, the packaging does not contain the manufacturer’s complete and accurate information.

According to the national standard, the following should not be seen in high quality saffron:

– Undesirable physical items including: Presence of hair, yarn, pebbles and sand, live or dead insects and ticks, fungi and mold visible with the naked eye, as well as contamination by rodents and birds.

– Inappropriate chemical substances that are measured in accordance with the relevant standards, and that must be within a proper range.

In general, due to a large number of cases of cheating in saffron, which is hard for public to detect, it is strongly recommended that you buy saffron officially licensed by The Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI) and The Food and Drug Administration of Iran (IFDA). Obviously, in order to make sure, you must see the standard logo, the production license and/or the health code on the packaging of products.

The standard properties of saffron

Sensory and physical properties

Flavor and aroma: Saffron must have its own aroma and flavor; a slightly bitter and spicy taste and free of any external taste and odor.

Appearance: Different types of saffron should be of as uniform color as possible and should not be stuck together due to excessive moisture or inappropriate drying.

Microbial properties:

These properties are determined in accordance with the following table and must comply with the relevant national standard.

Row	Microbial properties tested in saffron	Test results	Acceptable results	The testing method
1	Enterococci	Negative	Negative	2198
2	Escherichia coli	Negative	Negative	2946
3	Sulfite-reducing Clostridium spores	Less than 10	100	9432
4	Molds	10	1000	10899-2

Metal contaminants

Allowable limits are as shown in the table below.

Metal contaminants found in saffron

Name of contaminants	The maximum result acceptable (mg per kg)	Test results
Arsenic	3	Less than LOQ
Lead	2	Less than LOQ
Mercury	–	–

Chemical properties

These properties and other properties of thread and cut-thread saffron should comply with the table below.

Row	Chemical properties tested in saffron	Grading in the Iranian Standard					The testing method
		Cut-thread	Thread				The testing method
		Superior	1	2	3	4
1	Style with stigma (maximum mass %)	0.5	5	10	20	30	National Standard 259-2
2	Amount of external substances related to the plant Amount of external substances related to the environment	0.1 Negative	1 Negative	1 Negative	2 Negative	2 Negative	National Standard 259-2
3	Moisture and volatile matter (mass %)	10	10	12	12	12	National Standard 259-2
4	Total ash content based on dry matter	5.5	6	7	7	7	National Standard 1197
5	Acid insoluble ash content based on dry matter	0.5	1	1.5	1.5	1.5	National Standard 1253
6	Cold water-soluble extract (mass %)	65	65	65	65	65	National Standard 1619
7	Picrocrocin based on dry matter (Absorption at a wavelength of 257 nm)	85	80	70	70	70	National Standard 259-2
8	Safranal based on dry matter (Absorption at a wavelength of 330 nm)	20-50	20-50	20-50	20-50	20-50	National Standard 259-2
9	Crocin based on dry matter (Absorption at a wavelength of 440 nm)	220	220	180	150	140	National Standard 259-2
10	The extraction and detection of color additives	Negative	Negative	Negative	Negative	Negative	National Standard 259-2
11	Marking	Appropriate	Appropriate	Appropriate	Appropriate	Appropriate